At least 1.4 million children, ages 18 or younger, have hearing problems. Hearing impairment is defined by IDEA as “an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.” It has been determined that detecting and treating hearing loss at birth for one child saves $400,000 in special education costs by the time that child graduates from high school (The National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management)
Florida law requires that hospitals and birthing centers perform hearing screening on newborns.
Hearing children begin to learn language from the day they are born. The delay in the development of receptive and expressive communication skills in deaf children has an obviously adverse effect on their ability to grasp reading skills. The average reading level of deaf high school students is about at fourth grade. This statistic highlights the need for early intervention. By law, assistive technology must be considered for all students with an IEP.
One of the first options a parent must consider is the type of amplification system that might be used with a hearing impaired child, which is dependent upon the type of hearing loss. These may include cochlear implants, hearing aids, or assistive listening devices.
Four Types of Hearing Loss:
Conductive: caused by diseases or obstructions in the outer or middle ear that usually affect all frequencies of hearing. A hearing aid generally helps a person with a conductive hearing loss.
Sensorineural: results from damage to the inner ear. This loss can range from mild to profound and often affects certain frequencies more than others. Sounds are often distorted, even with a hearing aid.
Mixed: occurs in both the inner and outer or middle ear.
Central: results from damage to the central nervous system.
Students with Hearing Impairments in the Classroom
Effects of Hearing Loss on Development
Children with a hearing loss may...
Vocabulary
■ develop vocabulary more slowly. ■ learn concrete words like cat, jump, five, and red more easily than abstract words like before, after, equal to, and jealous. They also have difficulty with function words like the, an, are, and a. ■ experience a gap in vocabulary compared to the vocabulary of a hearing child that widens with age. They often do not catch up without intervention. ■ have difficulty understanding words with multiple meanings, e.g., the word "bank" can mean the edge of a stream, the or a place to put money.
Sentence Structure
■comprehend and produce shorter and simpler sentences than children with normal hearing. ■ often have difficulty understanding and writing complex sentences, such as those with relative clauses ("The teacher whom I have for math was sick today.") or passive voice ("The ball was thrown by Mary.") ■ often cannot hear word endings such as -s or -ed. This can lead to misunderstandings and misuse of verb tense, pluralization, non-agreement of subject and verb, and possessives.
Speaking
■ often cannot hear quiet speech sounds such as "s," "sh," "f," "t," and "k" and, subsequently, they do not include them in their speech, resulting in speech that may be difficult to understand. ■ may not hear their own voices when they speak. They may speak too loudly or not loud enough. They may have a speaking pitch that is too high. They may sound like they are mumbling because of poor stress, poor inflection, or poor rate of speaking.
Academic Achievement
■ have difficulty with all areas of academic achievement, especially reading and mathematical concepts. ■ at a mild to moderate hearing level, on average, achieve one to four grade levels lower than their peers with normal hearing, unless appropriate management occurs. ■ at a severe to profound level, usually achieve skills no higher than the third- or fourth-grade level, unless appropriate educational intervention occurs early. ■ experience a gap in academic achievement compared to children with normal hearing, that usually widens as they progress through school. ■ will experience a level of achievement that relates to parental involvement, as well as the quantity, quality, and timing of the support services they receive.
Social Functioning
■ at the severe to profound level, often report feeling isolated, without friends, and unhappy in school, particularly when their socialization with other children with hearing loss is limited.
Considerations in the Classroom for Hearing Impaired Students
An environment that supports the academic growth and success of a hearing impaired student is possible when some accommodations are provided in the gen ed classroom. The following suggestions may be considered by the IEP (or 504) team when considering options to maximize student success.
Communication Accommodations: special seating, get student's attention prior to speaking, reduce auditory distractions and background noise, reduce visual distractions, optimize speech reading conditions (no gum chewing, obstructions in front of face), information presented in a simple manner, enunciate speech, extra processing time, repeat or rephrase when necessary, frequent understanding checks
Physical Environment: Carpet or other sound absorption material for noise reduction, specialized lighting, flashing fire alarm
Instructional Accommodations: Noise reduction (see above), visual supplements (projected materials, whiteboard, charts, etc.), captioning or scripts, speech-to-text translation captioning, interpreter (ASL, signed English, cued, speech, oral), buddy system for notes, down time (break from listening), extra time for assignment completion, step-by-step directions, note taker
Curricular Accommodations: Modify reading assignments by shortening the length, adapt or eliminate phonics assignments, modify written assignments by shortening the length or adjusting the evaluation criteria, pre-tutor vocabulary, supplemental materials to reinforce concepts, provide extra practice, alternative curriculum
Evaluation Modifications: reduce quantity of tests or test items, use alternative tests, provide reading assistance, allow extra time
Other considerations might include supplemental instruction, counseling, sign language instruction, transition/vocational services, family support, deaf/hard of hearing role models, recreational or social opportunities
FDLRS/RMTC-D/HH (Resource Materials and Technology Center for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing) http://rmtcosbd.org/
FAVI (Florida and Virgin Islands Deaf-Blind Collaborative) Provides training and consultation services to the families and educational teams of Florida’s children and young adults (ages 0-22) with concurrent hearing loss and vision loss. http://deafblind.ufl.edu/
To find an audiologist in your area, contact the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) by calling 800-638-8255 or use the Find a Professional service on ASHA's Web site (www.asha.org).
Visit www.codabrothers.com for a personal tongue-in-cheek perspective on the hearing impaired, as represented by adult children of deaf parents :)
http://www.specialworld.net/2016/10/24/deaf-people-experience-music-thanks-to-sound-shirt/#prettyPhoto Disclaimer: Content referencing various software, products, devices, websites, organizations and businesses, both non- and for-profit, may be found on several pages of this wiki. Be advised that FDLRS Gulfcoast does not recommend any particular entity, nor should inclusion of any software, product, device, website, organization, business, or other entity be viewed as a commercial endorsement by FDLRS Gulfcoast, the FDLRS Project Network, or Pinellas County Schools. Information included on this site is for informational and educational purposes only.
Hearing Function
At least 1.4 million children, ages 18 or younger, have hearing problems. Hearing impairment is defined by IDEA as “an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.” It has been determined that detecting and treating hearing loss at birth for one child saves $400,000 in special education costs by the time that child graduates from high school (The National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management)
Hearing children begin to learn language from the day they are born. The delay in the development of receptive and expressive communication skills in deaf children has an obviously adverse effect on their ability to grasp reading skills. The average reading level of deaf high school students is about at fourth grade. This statistic highlights the need for early intervention. By law, assistive technology must be considered for all students with an IEP.
One of the first options a parent must consider is the type of amplification system that might be used with a hearing impaired child, which is dependent upon the type of hearing loss. These may include cochlear implants, hearing aids, or assistive listening devices.
Four Types of Hearing Loss:
Students with Hearing Impairments in the Classroom
Effects of Hearing Loss on Development
■ learn concrete words like cat, jump, five, and red more easily than abstract words like before, after, equal to, and jealous. They also have difficulty with function words like the, an, are, and a.
■ experience a gap in vocabulary compared to the vocabulary of a hearing child that widens with age. They often do not catch up without intervention.
■ have difficulty understanding words with multiple meanings, e.g., the word "bank" can mean the edge of a stream, the or a place to put money.
■ often have difficulty understanding and writing complex sentences, such as those with relative clauses ("The teacher whom I have for math was sick today.") or passive voice ("The ball was thrown by Mary.")
■ often cannot hear word endings such as -s or -ed. This can lead to misunderstandings and misuse of verb tense, pluralization, non-agreement of subject and verb, and possessives.
■ may not hear their own voices when they speak. They may speak too loudly or not loud enough. They may have a speaking pitch that is too high. They may sound like they are mumbling because of poor stress, poor inflection, or poor rate of speaking.
■ at a mild to moderate hearing level, on average, achieve one to four grade levels lower than their peers with normal hearing, unless appropriate management occurs.
■ at a severe to profound level, usually achieve skills no higher than the third- or fourth-grade level, unless appropriate educational intervention occurs early.
■ experience a gap in academic achievement compared to children with normal hearing, that usually widens as they progress through school.
■ will experience a level of achievement that relates to parental involvement, as well as the quantity, quality, and timing of the support services they receive.
Possible Hearing Assistance Devices
considered an assistive technology.
assistive technology if the need for FAPE is determined in the IEP.
technology amplification system.
School Resources for Assistive Technology Consideration for the Hearing Impaired
Considerations in the Classroom for Hearing Impaired Students
An environment that supports the academic growth and success of a hearing impaired student is possible when some accommodations are provided in the gen ed classroom. The following suggestions may be considered by the IEP (or 504) team when considering options to maximize student success.- Communication Accommodations: special seating, get student's attention prior to speaking, reduce auditory distractions and background noise, reduce visual distractions, optimize speech reading conditions (no gum chewing, obstructions in front of face), information presented in a simple manner, enunciate speech, extra processing time, repeat or rephrase when necessary, frequent understanding checks
- Physical Environment: Carpet or other sound absorption material for noise reduction, specialized lighting, flashing fire alarm
- Instructional Accommodations: Noise reduction (see above), visual supplements (projected materials, whiteboard, charts, etc.), captioning or scripts, speech-to-text translation captioning, interpreter (ASL, signed English, cued, speech, oral), buddy system for notes, down time (break from listening), extra time for assignment completion, step-by-step directions, note taker
- Curricular Accommodations: Modify reading assignments by shortening the length, adapt or eliminate phonics assignments, modify written assignments by shortening the length or adjusting the evaluation criteria, pre-tutor vocabulary, supplemental materials to reinforce concepts, provide extra practice, alternative curriculum
- Evaluation Modifications: reduce quantity of tests or test items, use alternative tests, provide reading assistance, allow extra time
- Other considerations might include supplemental instruction, counseling, sign language instruction, transition/vocational services, family support, deaf/hard of hearing role models, recreational or social opportunities
http://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/relationship-hl-listen-learn/accommodations/Information and Resources ---
Raising Deaf Kids
http://raisingdeafkids.org/help/tech/ald/
Hearing Loss Simulator
The Better Hearing Institute
http://www.betterhearing.org/hearing_loss/hearing_loss_simulator/index.cfm
Student Reactions Hearing Experiment (interesting reactions of students involved in an experiment of 24 hours as hearing impaired)
Robert Sekuler
Brandeis University
http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/~sekuler/senpro/topic_8_stuff/Hearing_Loss.html
Why do some students with cochlear implants request accommodations and others do not?
PEPNet
http://www.pepnet.org/resources/faq01
Effects of Various Types of Hearing Loss
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
Gallaudet University
http://www.gallaudet.edu/clerc_center/information_and_resources/info_to_go/hearing_loss_information/effects_of_hearing_loss.html
Cochlear Implants
http://www.ncbegin.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=92&Itemid=206
Hearing Aids
http://www.ncbegin.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81&Itemid=205
Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs)
http://www.ncbegin.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93&Itemid=201
Reading and Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Partnership for Accessible Reading Assessment
http://www.readingassessment.info/resources/publications/deafOrhardofhearning.html]]
How Do Profoundly Deaf Children Learn to Read?
Susan Goldin-Meadow and Rachel I. Mayberry
Council for Exceptional Children/Division for Learning Disabilities
http://idiom.ucsd.edu/~rmayberry/pubs/GoldinMeadow-Mayberry.pdf
Raising and Educating a Deaf Child
Rochester Institute of Technology
http://www.rit.edu/ntid/educatingdeafchildren/
Speech-to-Text Services: An Overview of Real-Time Captioning
PEPNet
http://www.pepnet.org/resources/speech-to-text
C-Print services
A speech-to-text system developed at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf
http://www.ntid.rit.edu/cprint/
TypeWell
A system for transcribing speech to text.
http://typewell.com/home.html
Described and Captioned Media Project (DCMP)
http://www.dcmp.org/
FDLRS/RMTC-D/HH (Resource Materials and Technology Center for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing)
http://rmtcosbd.org/
FAVI (Florida and Virgin Islands Deaf-Blind Collaborative)
Provides training and consultation services to the families and educational teams of Florida’s children and young adults (ages 0-22)
with concurrent hearing loss and vision loss.
http://deafblind.ufl.edu/
Sign Language Generator
http://www.idrt.com/SignGenerator/index.php
To find an audiologist in your area, contact the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) by calling 800-638-8255 or use the Find a Professional service on ASHA's Web site (www.asha.org).
Visit www.codabrothers.com for a personal tongue-in-cheek perspective on the hearing impaired, as represented by adult children of deaf parents :)
.
Additional thoughts on designing for the disabled
Design for the Disabled
The Sound Shirt
http://www.specialworld.net/2016/10/24/deaf-people-experience-music-thanks-to-sound-shirt/#prettyPhoto
Disclaimer: Content referencing various software, products, devices, websites, organizations and businesses, both non- and for-profit, may be found on several pages of this wiki. Be advised that FDLRS Gulfcoast does not recommend any particular entity, nor should inclusion of any software, product, device, website, organization, business, or other entity be viewed as a commercial endorsement by FDLRS Gulfcoast, the FDLRS Project Network, or Pinellas County Schools. Information included on this site is for informational and educational purposes only.